Bonne International Raises Funds for Children's Charity to Russia with Love

Bonne International, an English nanny and governess agency placing experienced professionals with high-profile families in Russia, has raised funds for a children's charity, To Russia with Love, by taking part in Nike's Run to the Beat half-marathon.

Bonne International's Recruitment Manager, Anna Gremitskikh, took part in Nike's Run to the Best half-marathon, an annual event which sees musicians and bands playing at various locations along the runners' route. 2012's half-marathon took place on the 28th of October, beginning and ending at the O2 Arena, with 12,000 participants, many of whom ran in aid of charities; Ms Grimitskikh took part on behalf of To Russia with Love, a children's charity founded by Debbie Deegan, a close friend to Bonne International. Fourteen years ago, Ms Deegan adopted a seven year-old girl, Zina, from a Russian orphanage, and set up the charity after promising Zina she would find a way to take care of the friends she had made there. Since then, her dedication has helped to improve the lives of more than 500 orphaned Russian children through renovating the orphanages themselves, developing care and education programmes, hiring more staff, and providing a greater quality of life overall.

Before she began training for the half-marathon, Ms Gremitskikh set a target of EUR 10,000, and has so far raised EUR 8,000; Bonne International's nannies, colleagues and clients generously donated, and one anonymous donor pledged EUR 2,855. Their three preschools in Moscow support To Russia with Love whenever they can, donating vanloads of toys and essentials, as well as sending a Father Christmas to visit the children with gifts. Bonne International is incredibly proud of Ms Gremitskikh's dedication to the charity, and is determined to raise the further EUR 2,000 they need to reach their target.

When To Russia with Love told the children they work with about Ms Gremitskikh's efforts, many of them drew pictures wishing her good luck, a touching gesture which only added as a further incentive to drive her on.

"To Russia with Love is an exceptional charity, which does important work with children facing heart-breaking circumstances, and we're determined to give it all the support and publicity we can," Ms Gremitskikh said. "Ms Deegan is a true inspiration: she has no specialist training or worldwide publicity campaigns like some other charities - she is a mother and housewife who wants to improve the lives of disadvantaged children however she can. Training for and taking part in the Run to the Beat half-marathon was a huge challenge, but I had all the incentive I needed, and feel proud to have given so much of myself for such a wonderful charity. We're all doing whatever we can to raise the further funds we need to meet our target, and hope more generous donations will help us get there. We'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped us so far!"

For more information on Bonne International and their range of services, call them on 0203 551 9315 or visit their site at http://www.bonne-int.com/

About Bonne International:

Since it was established in 2002, Bonne International has helped place many childcare and teaching professionals with high-profile families in Russia. With dedicated bilingual teams based in both London and Moscow, Bonne International aims to provide the highest levels of care and guidance, with 24-hour emergency assistance as well as post-placement and psychological support. Bonne International takes great care to ensure mutual satisfaction with placements, ensuring both staff and families are happy and comfortable.